{"id":121734,"date":"2026-02-13T12:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=121734"},"modified":"2026-02-13T15:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T20:34:18","slug":"scrutiny-absolute-joy-ivan-fischer-budapest-festival-orchestra-et-al-bring-mahlers-epic-symphony-no-3-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/02\/13\/scrutiny-absolute-joy-ivan-fischer-budapest-festival-orchestra-et-al-bring-mahlers-epic-symphony-no-3-life\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | An Absolute Joy: Iv\u00e1n Fischer, The Budapest Festival Orchestra Et Al Bring Mahler\u2019s Epic Symphony No. 3 To Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Iv\u00e1n
Iv\u00e1n Fischer conducts the Budapest Festival Orchestra, with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Children’s Chorus. February 12, 2026, Koerner Hall (Photo courtesy of the Budapest Festival Orchestra; R\u00f3bert Zentai)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music: Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Iv\u00e1n Fischer. Mahler, Symphony No. 3, with mezzo-soprano Gerhild Romberger, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Children’s Chorus. February 12, 2026, Koerner Hall.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The shimmering presence of god, the elemental rise of nature from deep beneath, man lost looking into eternity, awakening of all senses \u2014 all these and more came vividly alive in the Budapest Festival Orchestra\u2019s Mahler 3 led by Ivan Fischer on Thursday night at Koerner Hall.<\/p>\n

Mahler 3<\/h3>\n

This six-movement giant of a symphony poses much challenge to performers and audiences alike. As Mahler intended to construct the world in this symphony, the stamina and technical facility required to play this capricious music is incredible \u2014 there is no real break for anyone along this nearly two-hour journey.<\/p>\n

Both children\u2019s choir and women\u2019s choir must keep their composure, and stay patient on stage for a good hour until they get to bring in the grace of god, as tolling bells. The incredible alto solo is a meditation in both control and boundless expression, requiring breath that seems to last through an entire lifetime of human search.<\/p>\n

\"Iv\u00e1n
Iv\u00e1n Fischer conducts the Budapest Festival Orchestra, with mezzo-soprano Gerhild Romberger, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Children’s Chorus. February 12, 2026, Koerner Hall (Photo courtesy of the Budapest Festival Orchestra; R\u00f3bert Zentai)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Instrumental Excellence<\/h3>\n

The hall was packed, with a few musicians and choristers spilling out onto the audience area this evening. A rare sold-out house since the pandemic, the audience buzzed with excitement and chatter.<\/p>\n

However, at the first downbeat from Fischer, the house was entranced by the magic that BFO poured out for the next 100+ minutes.<\/p>\n

Starting with eight horns in glorious unison, the first double forte was quickly contrasted with the pianissimos from the orchestra \u2014 an apparition, with some sound felt, more than heard \u2014 the percussion section, especially the gran cassa and tam tam, were wonderfully textural; as they resonated beneath with such complex undertones, their pitches lost meaning, becoming a physical haze.<\/p>\n

Weaving in and out of the masterful \u2018klangfarben\u2019 \u2014 sound colour melody \u2014 exchange between sections, BFO\u2019s colours merged one instrument to another seamlessly; yet, every instrumental solo cut through the texture, with great command and character.<\/p>\n

The trombone solos by Bal\u00e1zs Szakszon, golden and tragic, full of pathos, and other times heroic and full of youthful jubilance, were a particular highlight throughout the whole symphony. The birdcall and wild nature noises from the woodwinds were feral and exotic. Daniel Bard\u2019s violin solos were exceptional in their flexibility and absolute perfect intonation and synchronicity with the orchestra.<\/p>\n

The whirling and expansion of string tuttis, in that special BFO blending, was especially exciting. It is not very often that an orchestra can produce different dynamics with such precision and audible difference between the sections as indicated on the score \u2014 it often ends up becoming an homogenous, synced dynamic \u2014 but not tonight.<\/p>\n

The summer flowers of the second movement felt close to the heart: we have been experiencing one of the coldest winters recently: and as the winter grips hard on the heart, the heart yearns for the summer. The unsuppressable energy that allows seeds to germinate through the frozen ground, to shoot up into the blue sky over the summer meadow \u2014 BFO\u2019s sections magically merged between chaotic explosions of energy and synchronised flow together.<\/p>\n

The strings, often at the edge of brutality, also caressed with utmost gentle energy. The bass\u2019s tutti pizzicatos throughout the second movement were whimsical and beautifully arced.<\/p>\n

The animals of the forest, full of Mahlerian motifs, brought great riches of texture, melodies, and space. This spatial element of live music is not replaceable, and no equipment can ever recreate such an effect through recording. It was beautiful to sense these conversations and interjections as they shot out, in real space and time, from all directions.<\/p>\n

Here, the posthorn played by Bence Horv\u00e1th, from offstage, was an amazing treat to the ears. Actually banishing him from the stage, as a contrast to many off-stage directions nowadays where they simply separate the player from the main stage, created a great contrast. Horv\u00e1th\u2019s control and technical posthorn mastery must surely be one of the best performances in recent years.<\/p>\n

\"Iv\u00e1n
Iv\u00e1n Fischer conducts the Budapest Festival Orchestra, with mezzo-soprano Gerhild Romberger. February 12, 2026, Koerner Hall (Photo courtesy of the Budapest Festival Orchestra; R\u00f3bert Zentai)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Did The Man Tell?<\/h3>\n

What did the Man tell? Through the shimmering undulation, Gerhild Romberger<\/strong> delivered the questioning thoughts from Nietzsche with a warm, commanding voice, as the awe for life gently supported her, leading us into the revelation \u2014 a joyful one, with bells and angels. Sharing much material with Mahler 4, the choirs, drawn from the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir<\/strong> and Toronto Children\u2019s Chorus<\/strong>, were wonderfully resonant with great diction, creating a light hearted, trusting joy in god.<\/p>\n

The sixth movement, \u201cWhat Love Tells Me,\u201d perhaps the most exquisite and generous slow writing by Mahler, was absolutely beautiful, especially in the tutti strings.<\/p>\n

As the orchestra layered onto this benevolence, Fischer created the utmost of dynamic contrast between the highest peaks and the lowest valleys, leaving the hall in stunned silence after the triumphant cadential extension in D major- brilliant and resonating throughout the entire hall.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

Fischer, well-grounded in the centre, was never excessive or theatrical. Two feet firmly on the ground, it was lovely to see him letting the orchestra loose at certain points. The trust between the conductor and the orchestra, and also within the sections, felt genuine and beautiful. The shared smiles and exchanged glances within the orchestra, especially in humorous moments, were genuinely touching.<\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s about creating an experience with others in these gargantuan symphonies, and it\u2019s lovely to see the real joy peeking through each musician. The palpable joy in the bass section during Part II: “What the Flowers of the Field Tell Me” in pizzicato, was another instance of great ensemble work.<\/p>\n

This was the last stop of their North American Mahler 3 tour 2026. Toronto was indeed lucky to have hosted the BFO, Fischer and Gerhild Romberger.<\/p>\n

The wild abandon, the beautiful calm post-apocalypse and self-annihilation, the entire world awakening \u2014 all these fantasies, beautifully described by Mahler, need an excellent ensemble, and BFO once again lived up to their fame as one of the best orchestras in the world. It was their finesse and grace that illustrated what music really is \u2014 it\u2019s not a recording, it\u2019s not a video, it\u2019s a real time experience, with sound pouring from all over the stage, from people who you can see and feel across the stage, in one shared space.<\/p>\n

What an absolute joy, in this world where so many things are flattened into digital apparitions. Bravo.<\/p>\n

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The shimmering presence of god, the elemental rise of nature… \u2014 all this and more came vividly alive in the Budapest Festival Orchestra\u2019s Mahler 3 led by Ivan Fischer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":121745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,76,19,875,41221,52,63],"tags":[37838,1650,2888,3342,3349],"yst_prominent_words":[27833,7171,6914],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-REVIEW-2026-02-13T113801.860.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vFs","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121734"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121734"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121764,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121734\/revisions\/121764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121734"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=121734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}